Product Description

Dear Reader,

If you have picked up this book with the hope of finding a simple and cheery tale. I'm afraid you have picked up the wrong book altogether. The story may seem cheery at first, when the Baudelaire children spend time in the company of some interesting reptiles and a giddy uncle, but don't be fooled. If you know anything at all about the unlucky Baudelaire children, you already know that even pleasant events lead down the same road to misery.

In fact, within the pages you now hold in your hands, the three siblings endure a car accident, a terrible odor, a deadly serpent, a long knife, a large brass reading lamp, and the reappearance of a person they'd hoped never to see again.

I am bound to record these tragic events, but you are free to put this book back on the shelf and seek something lighter.

With all due respect,
Lemony Snicket

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #50998 in Books
• Published on: 1999-09-30
• Released on: 1999-08-25
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 208 pages

Amazon.com
The Reptile Room begins where Lemony Snicket's The Bad Beginning ends... on the road with the three orphaned Baudelaire children as they are whisked away from the evil Count Olaf to face "an unknown fate with some unknown relative." But who is this Dr. Montgomery, their late father's cousin's wife's brother? "Would Dr. Montgomery be a kind person? they wondered. Would he at least be better than Count Olaf? Could he possibly be worse?" He certainly is not worse, and in fact when the Baudelaire children discover that he makes coconut cream cakes, circles the globe looking for snakes to study, and even plans to take them with him on his scientific expedition to Peru, the kids can't believe their luck. And, if you have read the first book in this Series of Unfortunate Events, you won't believe their luck either. Despite the misadventures that befall these interesting, intelligent, resourceful orphans, you can trust that the engaging narrator will make their story--suspenseful and alarming as it is--a true delight. The Wide Window is next, and more are on their way. (Ages 9 and older) --Karin Snelson

From Publishers Weekly
"If you are interested in stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading some other book." So cautions Snicket, the exceedingly well-mannered narrator of these two witty mock-gothic novels featuring the misadventures of 14-year-old Violet, 12-year-old Klaus and infant Sunny Baudelaire. From the first, things look unfortunate indeed for the trio: a fire destroys their home, killing their parents along with it; the executor of their parents' estate, the obtuse Mr. Poe (with a son, Edgar), ignores whatever the children have to say; and their new guardian, Count Olaf, is determined to get his hands on the Baudelaire fortune. But by using their individual gifts (Violet's for inventing, Klaus's for reading and researching and baby Sunny's for biting) the three enterprising children thwart the Count's planAfor now. The author uses formal, Latinate language and intrusive commentary to hilarious effect, even for readers unfamiliar with the literary conventions he parodies. The peril in which he places the Baudelaires may be frightening (Count Olaf actually follows through on his threats of violence on several occasions), but the author paints the satire with such broad strokes that most readers will view it from a safe distance. Luckily for fans, the woes of the Baudelaires are far from over; readers eager for more misfortune can turn to The Reptile Room, for an even more suspenseful tale. Exquisitely detailed drawings of Gothic gargoyles and mischievous eyes echo the contents of this elegantly designed hardcover. Age 9-up. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Grade 4-6-This series chronicles the unfortunate lives of the Baudelaire children: Violet, 14; Klaus, 12; and the infant, Sunny. In Bad Beginning, their parents and possessions perish in a fire, and the orphans must use their talents to survive as their lives move from one disastrous event to another. Surrounded by dim-witted though well-meaning adults, the Baudelaires find themselves in the care of their evil relative, Count Olaf, a disreputable actor whose main concern is getting his hands on the children's fortune. When Olaf holds Sunny hostage to force Violet to marry him, it takes all of the siblings' resourcefulness to outwit him. Violet's inventive genius, Klaus's forte for research, and Sunny's gift for biting the bad guys at opportune moments save the day. However, the evil Count escapes, only to return in The Reptile Room just as the children are settling into a far more pleasant life with their new guardian, Uncle Monty, who is promptly murdered by Olaf and his cohorts. Though the villain escapes again, and beloved Uncle Monty is dead, the children are safe...for now. While the misfortunes hover on the edge of being ridiculous, Snicket's energetic blend of humor, dramatic irony, and literary flair makes it all perfectly believable. The writing, peppered with fairly sophisticated vocabulary and phrases, may seem daunting, but the inclusion of Snicket's perceptive definitions of difficult words makes these books challenging to older readers and excellent for reading aloud.
Linda Bindner, formerly at Athens Clarke County Library, GA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

PCE Student Review
My favorite book is the Reptile Room.
The author is lemony Snicker. The theme is good and bad. My favorite charter is sunny. This Is why I like this I charter. Sunny meets the incredibly deadly viper, and the snake bites sunny on the chin. Sunny bites the snake back! The incredibly deadly viper is not deadly so sunny and the snake became friends.
The author writes something bad and makes it funny. When something sad happens it's not just sad.
Why I love this book- there are one page that has 198 ever. The snake is longer then all of the three kids put together. The three kids try to find a place to live but everywhere they go their relatives die. They have to find a place where count Olaf can not find them.

Kcs series of unfortunate events - the reptile room
what would you do if you had to live with your uncle with his millions of reptiles and also you were being tracked down by an evil man named count olaf? well that is what exactlly happens in this book to three very unfortunate children named violet, claus, and sunny. Their misrable lives started out when a mystereous fire burned down their house and when they were sent to live with the evil count olaf.
The setting takes place in a smaall town and in Uncle Monty's house and reptile room. Violet is a very smart and clever girl and she loves to invent stuff. Her brother claus is also smart and he loves to read and test out his sister's inventions. the youngest id sunny who likes to chew on thing and says stuff that no one understands so they guess what she's saying.
But now they are in good condition for now cause they were sent to live with thier uncle monty in a place that smelled like horse radish and looked vey dull. Their uncle Monty had a very big house and he seemed like a nice guy to the Bauldilare children because it beat staying with Count olaf and his evil movie group. But there was just one thing that bothered them was that the fact they had to live with a bunch of reptiles as well. but later they dicover that living withUncle Monty was ok and the deadly viper turns out to be the most friendliest of snakes. and that under the protestion on Uncle Monty nothing could go wrong. Until Uncle Monty's " assistant" came into the picture but he didn't fool the Bauldilares so they were well aware of what might happen. but you will have to read the book to find out what will happen next...
the theme is Even though they arent perfect. cause violet, claus,and sunny always thought of Count Olaf and infortunate things that happened to them until they met Uncle Monty. I think that the authors craft is basically trying to make you jump out of your seats and to keep you want to reading and the pacing of this book is very fast throughout the story but it did get kind of slow in the middle then gained pace. i would recommend this book to middle school kids and 4th or 5th graders cause younger kids wouldn't really understand it all that well and it might freak them out!

the mysterious tale of unfourtunate events
This book that I'm reading is called The Reptile Room. This book was written by Lemony Snicket. This book is fantasy because it's not real and it could never happen. The book is the second book of a series of thirteen books. The series is known as "A Series of Unfortunate Events".
This story is about the three Baudeliare children. Their names are Violet, Klaus, and Sunny. Violet was the oldest of the three and she loved to invent things. Klaus was the middle child and he was always reading. Sunny was still a baby and she loved to bite things especially hard things. In this story these three orphans go to live with their uncle who is a herpetologist (someone that studies snakes). Uncle Monty hires a man to help him on his journey to Peru. When this man arrives, the Baudelaire children realize he is not who he says he is. He is Count Olaf, a relative who is trying to steal their fortune.
Count Olaf kills Uncle Monty but luckily the children catch him and tell the banker (who controls their fortune). To find out the rest of the story......read the book.
I really enjoyed the book, so much so that I plan to read the entire series. My sister liked the series so much that she has read each book twice. I enjoyed the book because I like the characters and the fact that I learn more about the characters with every book I read. I also enjoy that the book is suspenseful in that the author holds out what happens until the very end of the book. This book is best suited for 4th, 5th, or 6th graders who enjoy mystery and fantasy, and sometimes unhappy endings.